Mental illness affects millions and many hide it for numerous reasons. This young teen, Rebecca Brown, took a bold step in publicly filming her fight with trichotillomania. This disorder compels people to pull out their hair strand by strand, and in some cases, even eat it. Those suffering from it end up with bald patches and thinning hair.

From 2007 to 2014, Brown took over 2100 photos. It’s remarkable to watch the transformation of a young adult over this length of time and that’s only heightened by her life events that caption the video. In some, she wears a wig to hide the bald spots. She explains that most of the balding takes place on the crown of her head and sides by the ears, which may indicate why her hair in front looks normal.

We applaud Rebecca for her inspiring video. Let’s share her courageous video with others.